Local Barre opens 2nd Hoboken location at 44 Hudson Place

They are currently offering grand opening specials for their new 44 Hudson Place studio, which officially opens on August 1, 2012.

According to their flier – the specials are $42 for three classes, $99 a month for unlimited, and $1999 for annual unlimited. Not sure about you guys – but I’m having trouble understanding what the financial incentive is for buying a year up-front… isn’t it supposed to be cheaper?

What is Local Barre?

One of those places was thought to be a “Yoga Studio,” however it’s actually a unique core fitness establishment called “Local Barre.”

“Local Barre is inspired by the fascinating life of Lotte Berk who we think is the Bee’s Knees of core fitness!

Lotte Berk, born in Germany to Jewish parents, developed into a beautiful dancer in the 1920’s and 30’s when the profession was regarded as disapprovingly as prostitution. Among the Jewish culture, dance was particularly prohibited, yet Lotte flaunted the Nazis by dancing on stage. In the 30’s, Lotte and her dancer husband fled Nazi Germany and started working in liberal London where ballet was more widely accepted. She went on to become a famous European dancer until the late 40s when she suffered a severe spinal injury in a car accident. In an effort to rehabilitate herself, with the help of an osteopath, she developed the rudiments of a new exercise method based on her experience with dancing. She opened an exercise studio in 1959 in a cramped, drafty basement studio on London’s Manchester Street which remained a best kept secret of the elite for decades.

Among her loyal clientele of the rich and famous were Joan Collins, Britt Ekland, Barbra Streisand, Lee Radziwill, Sian Phillips, Edna O’Brien and Yasmin Le Bon. Lotte was also known for her peculiar way of life, flirting with men although she was married and even moving in with a painter for two years with her husband’s permission. She was described as having a formidable presence, always dressed in black from head to toe, with a shiny black bob, pale skin, piercing dark eyes, and signature red lips. Lotte’s eccentric sexuality was reflected in her revolutionary fitness method which consisted of suggestive pelvic movements said to improve women’s sex lives. She gave her exercises bizarre, even risqué names such as the Prostitute, the Peeing Dog and the French Lavatory.”

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WHAT A SCAM!!! was looking forward to taking classes here, tried to use a groupon (which i’ve never had a problem with any other venue before)…was told to sell them or give them away because they have an expiration…(there were 24 days left before expiration at the time i tried to reserve a class)…sending an email to ALL my girlfriends (most of which live in hoboken, ny area)…NOT TO GO TO LOCAL BARRE!!!

I wish Local Barre luck-seems like a nice place! I don’t see much of pedestrian traffic around the Maxwell Place area, and I think places like this have potential to draw people there and make it more lively, day and night.